Shilpa Gupta

Nancy Adajania Prestel

Shilpa Gupta is an artist whose name and work has been popping up everywhere. Having exhibited in the Serpentine Gallery’s Indian Highway (2008), the artist has drawn interest from both public institutions and collectors alike.

In this new collection, entitled Shilpa Gupta, a survey of the artist’s oeuvre is undertaken. Gupta, born in 1976 is part of the new generation of international Indian artists. Using multi-media, interactive video, found objects, photography, and performance, Gupta’s work is explorative and provides a commentary and critique on a changing world in the context of a post-colonial society.

This collection brings together essays from Peter Weibel, Quddus Mirza, Shanay Jhaveri, and Nancy Adajania. These texts are inherent to understanding the probing questions that Gupta’s work evokes and the multi-layered meanings that emerge. In the book’s preface, Nancy Adajania states: “This book is intended to function as a symposium.” In that sense, Adajania is providing readers with the tools to understand and interpret Gupta’s practise. A readable and incredibly fascinating text.

Shirley Stevenson

Aesthetica Magazine

This article was originally published in Issue 36 of Aesthetica Magazine.